Preservations of a Fledgling Future
by DiehardJavaJunkie14
Summary: The Gilmore Handbook meant the world to Lorelai and Rory, the Danes Family Album was Luke's most prized possession, but the third book would mean the most to all three. Part 3 in the series. JAVAJUNKIE.
1. Prologue

**A/N: It's the third part to the series that brought you "The Gilmore Handbook" and "Danes Family Album"! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, "Preservations of a Fledgling Future". Takes place just about two years after "Danes Family Album" ended. Please see read "The Gilmore Handbook" and "Danes Family Album" in order before starting this one up. This format was inspired by a recent collab effort with AudiRox. **

**Big shout out to Reggie, the girl that gets a pretty dedication for helping me with two humungous hurdles to start this one. Thank you! Without you this would be a plot bunny. And as much as we love bunnies, I prefer that plot bunnies become stories. Read on, I hope I made you proud!**

Rory pulled her keys out of her purse and unlocked the front door of the Crap Shack. Walking inside, she listened to figure out where everyone was. The house was completely silent. She looked around the house, stepping over Paul Anka as she did. It had seen some major changes in the past few years, but it still felt like 'home'. Working in Hartford, so close to Lorelai, Luke, Kylie, and baby Noah, allowed her to live her own adult life. But coming back to Stars Hollow every night, and living just down the street from the house she grew up in, suddenly seemed so important.

She clutched the box in her hand and peeked around the corner for her mother and her step-father. Her first instinct told her to call for them, but after an accidental wake up for Kylie that followed a rough night, she learned her lesson. Rory walked into the kitchen and smiled as she saw Luke standing in front of the stove.

"Hey, Luke," she said, waving.

Luke turned around. "Hey, Rory, I didn't know you were coming over," he said, giving his stepdaughter a hug.

She smiled. "Well, it is your anniversary, and I wanted to make sure you guys got a present. I've been working on it for awhile and I have a feeling you'll love it."

"You know we don't need anything, Rory," Luke insisted, placing a pancake on a plate and handing it to her.

"Look, you even feed me when I come over here. I think it's the least I can do," she said with a smile. "Mom still sleeping?"

He nodded. "Noah kept us up all night last night, I figured she probably wanted to sleep in."

"Aww," Rory said, smiling slightly at the thought of her baby brother.

"Yeah, he's not so cute at two in the morning," Luke grumbled.

Rory giggled. "You love it."

"Do you need syrup for your pancakes?" Luke offered, ignoring her comment.

"Absolutely," Rory said with a smile, accepting the syrup. "Thank you."

Luke poured her a cup of coffee and it took Rory all the strength she had not to snatch it from his hands. She locked her eyes on it and picked up the mug as soon as he placed it on the table, being as careful as possible and trying not to look desperate. She held it beneath her nose for a moment, taking in the familiar smell before taking a sip and placing it back on the table. She turned to Luke, who watched the whole process unfold.

"You're just like your mother," he said, shaking his head and returning to the stove.

"From the moment I was thought of," she added, taking a bite of the pancake.

At that moment, a very sleepy Lorelai emerged from upstairs, carrying an extremely peppy and babbling Kylie. She plopped the little girl in Rory's lap, gave Rory a quick kiss on the cheek and ruffled Kylie's hair before giving an obligatory wave and disappearing upstairs again.

"Whoa, some night she must have had," Rory teased, pulling Kylie closer to her.

Luke nodded. "She fully remembers the promise I made her last night to let her sleep in, but apparently she doesn't remember kicking me in the shin at about four."

Rory smiled. "It's extremely convenient, you realize. Women remember what they choose to remember, and that's it."

"Convenient for women," Luke said. "I'm the one left with the bruising."

"She looks just like Mom, doesn't she?" Rory asked, gesturing to the little girl in her lap.

Luke nodded. "That's what all the nurses on the maternity ward said when she swore Kylie looked just like me. Apparently there was a 20-1 vote, your mother being the only 'nay' sayer."

"She likes to go against the crowd," Rory teased.

"You're telling me," Luke said.

The two talked for a few minutes until they heard thumping on the stairs. Luke instinctively got out of his seat, poured a second cup of coffee, and held it out to Lorelai as she entered the kitchen. She took a sip and looked at Luke. "Happy anniversary," she croaked. "Sorry I kicked you in the shin."

Rory nearly spit out her coffee as she tried to swallow and laugh at the same time. "Looks like her memory's great to me," she teased Luke, smiling.

"It's okay. Happy anniversary," Luke replied, leaning in to kiss her. "Rory's here."

Lorelai nodded. "That she is. You're up early, sweets."

Rory shrugged. "I'm still running on adrenaline from last night, it was a huge newsroom night."

"Well, we're glad you're here, despite the time," Luke added, placing a plate of pancakes in front of Lorelai.

"You're pretty," Lorelai said, grinning at Luke.

"How's Noah?" Luke replied.

Lorelai smiled. "Sleeping. I'll wake him up and torture him in about five minutes, he needs to be awakened in the middle of a deep sleep too. Payback. Kylie and Rory were such quiet babies, what happened?"

"You gave him your DNA," Luke deadpanned.

Rory giggled as she watched the interaction between Lorelai and Luke. The past few years had been so full of happiness for the Gilmore-Danes crew, and it obviously hadn't worn off yet. She took the last bite of her pancake and stood up, positioning Kylie on her hip and grabbing the wrapped present with her free hand. "When you guys are ready, come on into the living room, I have a present for you."

Lorelai nodded. "We'll be in momentarily," she replied, shoving a large bite of pancake in her mouth.

"You still have all your breakfast," Luke pointed out.

Lorelai shook her head, swallowing her pancake and chasing it with a sip of coffee. "When it involves presents, I can eat so fast you won't know what hit you."

"You already eat fast," Luke pointed out.

"I can eat faster," she replied. "You saw me at the pie eating contest."

"You're insane."

"Present's waiting," Rory called. "Right, Kylie?"

Kylie giggled and nodded. "Yeah, yeah!" she replied eagerly, crawling into Rory's lap.

"It's still going to be there when you're done eating," Luke insisted.

Lorelai shoveled the last bite of pancake into her mouth and jogged out into the living room, scooping Kylie out of Rory's lap on the way. "I love presents."

"I'll go get Noah," Luke said, making his way upstairs.

Rory laughed. "You guys are intense with the little ones," she teased.

Lorelai shrugged. "Kylie will get bored and want to color in about ten minutes. She can sit there and color all day, that will keep her busy while we open the present."

"You guys got all day? Because if I do say so myself, this present's really awesome," Rory said with a wink.

"We have as much time as is needed. Luke has the day off," she said with a nod.

Rory grinned. "That's so nice, you get to spend your anniversary together."

"Yeah, but the real fun doesn't start until later," Lorelai said, nudging Rory.

"Oh, gross! I think you two have done plenty of that for a lifetime, remember Noah?"

Lorelai burst into giggles. "The initial denial from Luke was totally priceless. 'But we said we were only going to have one!' It was hysterical."

"And now look at him," Rory said, motioning to the stairs. "Shock wore off and Noah melted Luke."

"Are you guys talking about me?" Luke asked, carrying a sleeping Noah downstairs.

Lorelai grinned. "With the adorable picture you're giving us right now, how couldn't we?"

"All right, all right, enough of the chit chat, let's get down to business," Rory said. "You both have a present to open."

Picking Kylie up and getting her settled with crayons and a coloring book on the floor nearby, Lorelai clapped her hands. "Can I open it? You kind of have your hands full," she pointed out.

Luke nodded. "You're obviously going to explode if you don't," he grunted.

Lorelai ripped the paper off of the box, and pulled the top off even faster. She pulled out a blue book, turning it around and around and inspecting its exterior. "Preservations of a fledgling future. Very poetic," Lorelai noted. "Oh, wow, old newspaper clippings! How did you get these?"

"It's a book full of articles pertaining to important moments in the family history. I used my influence as assistant political editor at the Courant to swing access to the archives. It kind of grew to be a bigger project than I expected," she said, timidly.

"You're telling me, sweets, this thing weighs a ton," Lorelai insisted.

Rory giggled. "It's not THAT heavy."

"Luke, look, isn't that nice?" Lorelai said, showing Luke the book.

Watching Luke and Lorelai inspect the book, Rory thought about the efforts she went through to compile the articles for them. It all started with a simple request to gain a copy of their wedding announcement to be framed, which would be part of a bigger present. As Taylor practically gave her the keys to the Stars Hollow Gazette newspaper office, her passion for journalism took over. She was suddenly glad she had stopped by so early, because a simple search took months as the project grew.

To the Gilmore-Danes household, books were important. The first one, the rulebook, meant the world to Rory and Lorelai. The second, the photo album, was extremely important to Luke. The third, the book that contained the family's past, present, and future, could possibly mean the most to all three of them.

Rory watched as they opened the book and scanned the headline of the first article.


	2. William's Hardware

**William's Hardware a Personal and Town-Wide Success**

By Joseph Stanley

_Staff Writer_

The bells above the door jingle and a friendly face emerges from the stockroom. A simple "how do you do" and an offer for assistance are quickly extended. Surely the man behind the counter has been in the business for years, with the type of service that's being offered.

In fact, William's Hardware has been open just one week, and the reputation the store is getting has been unmatched. William Danes, proprietor of Stars Hollow's first hardware store in twenty years, is a large part of the success of William's Hardware.

"The fine citizens of this town are very picky," said Stars Hollow Mayor Harry McCarthy. "Bill is an upstanding and honest member of this town and the rest of the population will surely see what a great businessman he'll be as well."

According to Stars Hollow's Chamber of Commerce, Danes' trustworthiness will translate into profit, and the store should be a lucrative undertaking for him and for the town of Stars Hollow.

"A small town store like this one, with great prices and great service, will really get far," said Chamber of Commerce Director John Twickham. "William's a great guy, everyone knows him and trusts him. They trust him with their hard earned salaries. That's why he'll make a lot of money for this town."

But for Danes, a lifelong Stars Hollow resident, it isn't about the money, but about the principle of the business venture.

"This was about doing something I love," said Danes. "And it's about doing something for myself. I love this town, I love the people that live here, and I've always had a passion for building things. I can only hope that this store will be what the people of our town need, and that they'll trust us to give it to them."

Danes knew he wanted to open his own business. Deciding what that business would be was the hardest part. After much thought, including attending college, the concept of William's Hardware was born.

"It was difficult for me because I have an interest in a lot of different things," said Danes. "I had to choose eventually, and this was the result. And I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. So far, everyone's been nothing but supportive."

The citizens of the town are not afraid to express their support for Danes and his new business venture.

"William's a fine young man," said Patricia Lanahan. "I'll be going to him for all of my hardware needs, you can count on it."

Other Stars Hollow entrepreneurs are also extremely supportive of Danes' undertaking.

"I'm absolutely thrilled for him," said Fran Weston, employee of Weston's Bakery. "He has a good head on his shoulders and a mind for business. I have a feeling he'll be extremely successful. I wish him the best of luck."

Danes has struck a deal with several construction companies in the area, despite the fact that his business has been open just a week. Danes insists that the business of the local residents will ultimately be what makes his store successful.

"I work for the people of this town," said Danes. "I provide a service for them. If they're not happy, I'm sunk. So I owe it all to them."

The business is new, and the concept is new, but Danes still sets his standards high.

"I want to be Stars Hollow's main supplier," Danes said. "Profit's nice, you've gotta have profit to keep the business running. But that's all gravy. Profit will come if the people come. And the people of the town are my main priority."

William's Hardware is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, and 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Danes is also willing to open in an emergency.

"People shouldn't have to leave town if they need a plunger," he insisted. "I'd be willing to open for them if necessary. I'd want them to do the same for me, and a lot of the other businesses have done that for me. It's a Stars Hollow philosophy of business."

So far, the philosophy has generated amounts of business never seen by Stars Hollow.

* * *

Lorelai smiled. "Did you have that article already?"

Luke shook his head. "How did you find this? I've never read it. I'm… wow."

Rory could tell how much it meant to Luke to have an article about his dad's successes. She smiled at Lorelai as Luke leaned over to scan the article once more. "They have everything in that vault. They were so good to let me in and snag these."

"This is great, Rory. Thank you," Luke said, giving Rory a small smile.

"Of course," she said. "I thought it would be important to you, so I grabbed it. Taylor didn't even throw a fit, because it was promoting the history of the town."

Lorelai put her hand on Rory's knee. "There's even a picture," she said.

Rory leaned in, smiling at the sight of the picture. It was one similar to the one Luke kept in his photo album that she loved to look through on occasion. William stood on the front steps of the hardware store, a proud look on his face.

"I'm still shocked you found this stuff," Luke said.

Rory smiled. "There will be some more nice surprises. I just thought it would be fitting to start with that, because that's pretty much the earliest article I could find with the family in it. I mean, there were the occasional clippings with a mention in passing, but they weren't anything good. So I didn't get those."

"It's so funny to hear from Harry, and Fran, and Mrs. Lanahan," Lorelai said. "I can't wait to see who else makes appearances."

Rory giggled. "There were some interesting characters in there."

"I'll bet you learned a lot, too," Luke insisted.

"I did! Did you know that our newspaper isn't an open forum? Taylor has to approve it before it can get out?"

Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "Isn't that against the law?"

Rory nodded. "Technically, it's frowned upon, but this is Stars Hollow. No one really cares about our little paper besides us. We get the big papers if we want an open forum."

"I haven't read the Gazette in years," Luke admitted. "Since you had your column in there, Rory."

Rory blushed, looking at her hands. "Well, thanks. But there's some good stuff that was written over the years and recently. Keep perusing through the book. You never know what you could find."

"Considering the whack jobs that live in this town, nothing will surprise me," Luke sighed.

Lorelai grinned. "I peeked at the next headline."

"You cheater," Rory teased.

"I am not a cheater. You never said there were rules!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Can we move on, please?"

"You're four," Rory said, eliciting a funny face and an eye roll from Lorelai.


	3. DanesMartin Duo Takes Dance Marathon

**Danes-Martin Duo Takes Dance Marathon**

By: Leslie Littmann

_Staff Writer_

The shiny trophy for the 7th annual Stars Hollow Dance Marathon will soon reside in the Danes family trophy cabinet. Stars Hollow's golden couple, Amy Martin and her fiancé William Danes, took this year's competition in the earliest finish in marathon history. After dancing for seventeen straight hours, Martin and Danes were declared victorious.

"This is amazing," said Martin. "Ever since the marathon's first year, I'd wanted to try and see how long I could make it, but no one would dance with me. And then I met Bill, and roped him into it. I'm a lucky gal."

Though Danes and Martin were originally favored to take the marathon, success didn't come easily for the pair. Thirty five couples took the dance floor at the start of the event. By hour ten, only six of those couples had been eliminated. Hour twelve saw the demise of two more couples. The competition was tight until the fourteenth hour, when the thirty first eliminated couple became spectators in the bleachers, leaving only four couples on the floor.

During hour sixteen, the playing field was limited to just two couples, the second being Jim and Rhonda Gleason. Due to a much debated yellow card infraction, the Gleason couple was disqualified, and Danes and Martin were given the trophy.

"The Gleasons did not produce a yellow card," said Stars Hollow Mayor Harry McCarthy. "They are thereby disqualified. Those are the rules. Bee stings do not constitute an excuse. Had they produced a yellow card in a timely manner, they would have been excused from the floor and the sting would have been treated by a medic. Mrs. Gleason could not produce her yellow card, so Mr. Gleason's unfortunate injury still led to their disqualification."

Jim Gleason, owner of three dance marathon trophies, still denies the legality of the decision.

"Injury to a participant is legal grounds for a yellow card," said Gleason. "We hadn't used our card and we needed it. Rhonda doesn't have great reflexes, but she's a great dancer. We should have had the fourth trophy of seven to be a marathon dynasty."

Throughout the ordeal, Danes and Martin kept their eyes on the prize, waltzing through to the last few moments of the competition to take the trophy from the Gleasons.

"I didn't even see that Jim didn't pull out a yellow card," said Danes. "I really wasn't paying attention. Until I heard someone shouting behind me, I wasn't thinking about winning at all."

This year's marathon is the first appearance for both Danes and Martin, who are engaged to be married and have a wedding planned in the town square for April. In fact, preparing for the wedding was the inspiration for their appearance in the event.

"It all started out with the idea of taking dance lessons," said Danes. "She wanted us to look nice on our wedding day, and make sure I wouldn't step on her feet or her dress or anything like that. Then it just snowballed, and here we are, with a huge trophy."

The couple hopes to enjoy more marathon victories in the future.

"You never know, we might get a little streak going at some point," said Martin. "It could be really nice. I'll definitely sign up again if I still have my partner."

* * *

"Okay, so I knew that your parents danced in the marathons, but they won A LOT," Lorelai pointed out.

Luke rolled his eyes. "That's because they ate things besides chocolate, coffee, and pizza."

"Don't forget about Red Vines," Rory added.

He sighed. "How could I ever forget about the Red Vines? That sure would be an international tragedy."

"You kid, but you don't realize the importance of the Red Vines to a successful movie night. Everyone knows that," Lorelai insisted.

"You taught Kylie about the movie nights the other day at the park, right, Mom?" Rory said, moving closer to see Luke's reaction.

Luke glared at Rory. "Kylie, at two, is not going to comprehend that, and Noah will not either. He is not a six week old super genius. Other than that, I have no comment."

"Had you seen this article before, Luke? You had pictures in the album, right?" Lorelai asked, winking at Rory and putting her hand on Rory's shoulder.

Luke nodded. "I had this one, but it ripped at one point. So this new copy's appreciated."

"And you're obviously welcome to any copy you want to frame or anything. They have so many papers they need to get rid of to someone who wants to give them a good home," Rory insisted.

Lorelai clapped her hands. "We can take some! Name them, give them chew toys, play fetch with them, just like Paul Anka!"

"Paul Anka hasn't done a single thing that can remotely be associated with dog like behavior except pee on fire hydrants," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Sugary toes are a guilty pleasure for any dog. I'll bet if you pull any dog off the street and ask him that, his answer will be 'sugary toes, of course!'" she teased in a squeaky voice.

"Okay, when I become a dog whisperer, I will work that one out for you," Luke said, obviously trying to agree and move on to avoid conflict.

"Like the Pet Psychic lady that can tell you what your pets are thinking! I saw that on Animal Planet while I was pregnant with Kylie. It hasn't been on since, but I was fascinated. The animals could tell the humans that they were sick, or lonely, or happy, all through this lady," Lorelai rambled.

"You know, this is so nice, learning more about your parents," Rory interrupted. "It's my way of getting to know them. Yeah, the pictures were nice, but you know me and journalism, it just clicks. I can almost hear them talking when I read their quotes."

"That's pretty much them in the article. They did talk like that," Luke said.

Lorelai laughed. "And you think I'm the crazy one, suggesting talking to dogs. This girl hears people's voices in her head. People she doesn't know. And you're encouraging her, telling her that's exactly how they sounded."

"That's more normal than talking to a dog."

Lorelai crossed her arms. "According to? There should be a 'Crazy Committee' to judge the craziness level of people's actions!"

"I know some people who would be brought to the committee regularly," Luke pointed out.

Rory leaned over. "Are you referring to us?" she asked sweetly.

"Oh, sweets, of course he is, but he doesn't realize that we'd be the crazy people on the committee that judge the actions of the allegedly insane," Lorelai said, hugging Rory.

"I'm going to put Noah upstairs, and you two get out whatever craziness you're going to partake in before I get back," Luke said, standing up from the couch.

Lorelai grunted. "Thanks for the permission, but we're crazy all the time," she teased, turning the page.


	4. DanesMartin Wedding Announcement

**Wedding Announcements**

Danes-Martin

They met at a high school baseball game. She was reluctant to go. Saturday, almost three years from the day they met, Amy Marie Martin married William Thomas Danes at the Stars Hollow Church. The Rev. James Phillips officiated the ceremony.

Amy is the daughter of Robert and Cecilia Martin, who have been Stars Hollow residents for five years. She was given in marriage by her father. Mia Halloway, a childhood friend of the bride, attended the bride as the maid of honor.

William is the son of Patrick and Virginia Danes, lifelong residents of Stars Hollow. Gregory "Buddy" Collins, friend of the groom, served as the best man. Ushers were Louie Danes, brother of the groom, and Daniel Parker and Mark Frances, friends of the groom.

A reception was held in the town square immediately following the wedding, where the couple was welcomed by their families and friends.

The couple now resides on Oak Street. William is the owner and proprietor of William's Hardware, and Amy is a teacher's assistant at Stars Hollow Elementary School.

The citizens of Stars Hollow are eager to voice their happiness for the couple.

"They're just so right for each other," said Collins, the best man. "He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, and she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. It was like they were human magnets."

Other friends and residents noticed the mutual attraction.

"They were inseparable from the second they met," said Maisy Robinson, another friend of the groom and fiancée of the best man. "They were practically glued to each other's sides from the second they saw each other, it's just so darn cute."

After meeting at the Stars Hollow versus Woodbury state championship baseball game, William and Amy began dating. Both are graduates of Stars Hollow High School, and they are the reigning champions of the Annual Dance Marathon.

* * *

"That is so adorable!" Rory gushed. "I just found the headline and snagged the article, I didn't even read it!"

Lorelai gasped. "You? Miss 'I have to look back at all my memories every time I spring clean' didn't LOOK at the ARTICLES?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Uh, hello, time crunch."

"Well, spring doesn't last forever, either," Lorelai teased, looking at Luke's stunned expression. "She's pretty good with this stuff, huh?"

Luke cleared his throat and looked at Rory. Rory smiled, knowing how thankful Luke was. She didn't want to pressure him into saying anything, because she knew that it was a touchy subject. But she could tell by the look on Luke's face that he was extremely thankful.

"Rory," he started.

Rory laughed. "Really, Luke, I know it means a lot to you."

He leaned forward to look at Rory, but Lorelai got up and switched places with Luke. "There you go, now you don't have to lean across to see her cute little face."

Luke sat down in the spot previously occupied by Lorelai and opened the book once again. "She would have loved you, you know. She loved Jane Austen, and she was always reading. I still have some of her books, you should, you know, look through them sometime. I don't read them anymore."

"Really?" Rory asked, surprised.

"She probably has a lot you'd enjoy. We'll do that later, I'll go and grab the boxes from the old house, you can come with me."

Rory smiled. "Luke, you don't…"

"I want to," he insisted. "You did this for us, so I want to give you something back."

Rory snorted. "It's not my anniversary," she replied. "I'm unattached. So there."

"End of discussion, you're coming with me," Luke insisted, trying his hardest to be serious.

Lorelai nodded. "You tell her, Luke," she said with a nod.

Rory gently flipped through the plastic sheet protectors that held the articles she had compiled. "I don't know how much some of the articles will, you know, hit a nerve or whatever. I just grabbed every article with a Gilmore or Danes attachment. I didn't think about… god, I'm stupid!"

Luke shook his head. "No, no, it's fine. That's life, some things bother you, some things make you happy, but it's life."

"Aww, my burger boy's being very thoughtful and inspiring today, I must have forgotten to give him his meds," Lorelai teased.

Rory raised her eyebrows. "Please don't make us pull a Chief on you acting like a spaced out McMurphy," she pleaded.

Luke rolled his eyes. "You two watch way too many movies."

"He's baaaack," Lorelai teased.

Rory pointed to the picture accompanying the article. "Wow, look at her dress. It looks a lot like yours did, Mom."

Lorelai leaned in to look just as Luke attempted to pass the book over, causing Lorelai's cheekbone and the corner of the album to collide. "Jeez, you can poke an eye out with that," she warned, taking the book, placing it in her lap, and rubbing her cheekbone. Leaning in, she looked up and smiled. "You're right, sweets, they do look similar."

"Freaky coincidences," Rory teased.

"Or it could just mean that Luke and I were meant to be together," Lorelai replied.

"Like a sign! That's cool, she gave you signs, Luke," Rory reasoned.

"Too bad you didn't do anything about them until eight years after we met," Lorelai muttered.

Luke turned to face Lorelai. "Hey, you were emotionally unavailable or just not single for a lot of that time, you admit it."

Lorelai thought for a moment. "And then you were with Rachel, then Nicole. Hmm. Timing sucked."

"No kidding," Rory added. "The whole town kept telling me to put the bug in your ear, Mom. Everyone could see right through Luke's grumpy act."

"Everyone? Then how come…"

Rory laughed for a moment, shaking her head. "The dream, Mom. You so had feelings for Luke. You just refused to admit it. Admit it now."

Luke turned to Lorelai. "Yeah, admit it," he echoed.

Lorelai gasped. "You took his side again? I've taught you nothing!"

"You're blushing," Rory pointed out, giggling. "She's blushing. Don't deny it. Actually, you don't have to say anything, we both know the truth."

Lorelai tried to defend herself, but Rory wasn't listening. She just watched as Luke and Lorelai bantered back and forth. She got a little chill down her spine at certain moments when they were together. She missed it while they were apart. Rory knew that Lorelai had to make her own mistakes, but during that year Luke and Lorelai weren't together, Rory didn't get a chill when she saw her mom upset, or alone, or just with the wrong person.

It was the same chill she got when she first saw the picture of Luke's parents on their wedding day.


	5. Birth Announcements

**Birth Announcements**

Mr. and Mrs. William Danes announce the birth of a son, born at 4:45 a.m. November 6, 1960, in Hartford Memorial Hospital. The infant weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and has been named Lucas Patrick Danes. This is Mr. and Mrs. Danes' first child. Maternal grandparents are Robert and Cecilia Martin, formerly of Woodbury, Connecticut, and currently of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Paternal grandparents are Patrick and Virginia Danes of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. William Danes announce the birth of a daughter, born at 3:29 a.m. June 12, 1962, in Hartford Memorial Hospital. The infant weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and has been named Elizabeth Ann Danes. Maternal grandparents are Robert and Cecilia Martin, formerly of Woodbury, Connecticut, and currently of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Paternal grandparents are Patrick and Virginia Danes of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Elizabeth joins older brother Lucas, who turns 2 in November.

* * *

Rory looked over at Luke, reaching across and pinching his cheek. "Widdle Wuke was just so adowabwe," she teased, cracking up in the middle of the process.

Lorelai smiled. "Now, Rory, you know he has that whole thing with getting his cheeks pinched. Both the rear cheeks and the face cheeks."

"Hey," Luke protested.

Rory flushed a crimson red and turned to face her mother, her ponytail whipping Luke's face in the process. "Mom! So not what I needed to know."

Lorelai giggled. "You just hit Luke in the face with your ponytail," she said, pointing to a less-than-amused Luke.

Rory turned her head toward Luke, her ponytail flying at Lorelai in the process, hitting her outstretched hands that were held up in defense. "Luke! I am so sorry!" Rory said.

"Sure, sure, hit Mommy with the hairstyle of doom now," Lorelai teased.

Rory grabbed her ponytail and turned to face Lorelai. "I hit you too?"

"I had a line of defense," Lorelai said, holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers.

"Ooh, spirit fingers," Rory gasped, pointing to Lorelai's hands.

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Spirit fingers? Do I really want to know?"

Rory gasped. "In all the years you and Luke have known each other, you haven't introduced him to the pile of garbage that is 'Bring it On'?"

"No, we were too busy giving you an adorable little brother and sister to play with all the time…"

"Okay, I'm going to check on them, while you're on the subject," Luke said, swiftly excusing himself from the conversation.

Lorelai laughed. "Good excuse, but you're not getting away with it next time."

Rory leaned back on the couch, facing Lorelai. "So how is life with two little ones? I know I'm over here all the time, but I think their angelic behavior is putting on an act."

Lorelai laughed. "Your brother's putting on the act. Kylie may as well be your mini me. All she wants to do is read. I'll read her a story before bed, or Luke will, and she'll just come out with 'more please!' and we're still wondering when you decided to sneak in her bedroom and hypnotize her to be like you."

"So is the debate still on? Does she look like you or Luke?"

"Well, I tend to change my mind every day. When she smiles I think she looks like you, and you looked like me. So by default that makes her look like me. But when she's concentrating, like trying to hold the enormous crayon in her hand without breaking it? All Luke."

"So basically she looks like both of you," Rory insisted.

"I said one thing when she was born, I said another earlier today, I'll say something different in five years. I'm a Gilmore by birth, I'm indecisive."

Rory shrugged. "I don't know where we got that from, Grandma is awfully quick to make decisions."

"I think it was Gran's mother. I heard she couldn't decide on Gran's name for like three weeks."

"So what did they call her? Hey, you?"

Lorelai laughed. "I don't know. But what I do know was that Richard had to INSIST that my name be Lorelai for Emily to consent. He let her pick my middle name. It was the consolation prize."

"And you had no one to object regarding my name," Rory insisted.

"Oh, please, your grandmother begged me to reconsider. I mean, sure, I was drugged up, and sure, I had a little feminism going, but ultimately, your grandmother just started mouthing off, and I decided that your name was Lorelai," she replied.

Rory giggled. "You live to torture Grandma, don't you?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I'm so glad you're not a child that decides to torture."

"Well then you're a terrible example," Rory teased, moving closer to Lorelai. "That's why I don't do the stuff you did."

"Well, you also forgot that you decided not to have sex until you were nineteen, and you failed to mention that you lived in the potting shed for a good chunk of your young life. That's a decent change right there. It's impossible for my daughter to be exactly like me. Although with the name I hoped you'd come as close as possible… look where you are now!"

Rory rolled her eyes. "You're getting all sappy on me."

"No one said anything about getting sappy. Nostalgic is more the word."

Rory looked over at her mom as she talked. Looking at the smile on Lorelai's face, Rory knew that Lorelai was truly happy with the way her life turned out. Lorelai stopped mid sentence when Luke came down the stairs, turning her head to face her husband. Rory looked at her stepdad, rolling her eyes when she saw Kylie attached to his leg.

"She didn't buy the 'it's naptime' thing," Luke pointed out.

Lorelai laughed, opening her arms and taking Kylie from Luke. "She's too smart for that. Is that what you told her?"

Luke shrugged. "I figured she'd believe it."

"You're so naïve," Lorelai said, running her hands through Kylie's hair, pulling a hair elastic from around her wrist and twisting it into Kylie's unruly brown curls. "She's smart like her older sister. I mean, I tried to tell her that pink clothes monsters that looked like Ms. Pac Man would come and sit on her if she didn't let me put them on."

"You have to tell her believable things if you want her gullible side to come out," Rory huffed.

"But then that defeats the purpose of being gullible if it's believable," Lorelai replied.

"Did I miss something?" Luke asked, scratching his head.

Lorelai laughed. "Just go to the next page," she replied, nodding to Rory who turned the album to the next page.


	6. Costume Party Raises Money

**Costume Party Raises Money To Repair Bridge**

By Mark Leahy

_Staff Writer_

Why would a busy mother of two spend so much time on Halloween costumes for a town event? Amy Danes had been working on the cowboy costume and the fairy princess costume that seven-year-old Luke and five-year-old Lizzie donned since July, and her reasoning had nothing to do with candy.

"We've been taking the kids to the town costume party since they were born," said Danes. "We pay the money to enter them in the costume contest, and we pay to let them play around in the square, but it's all for a good cause. That bridge is in sad shape."

The 25th annual Halloween Costume Party was held last Saturday in the Stars Hollow town square. Over 30 booths were set up with face painting, games, and prizes, and a small haunted house was built in the spirit of the holiday.

"I love taking my kids here," said Danes. "They love it, so I love it by default."

The event, designed by town mayor Harry McCarthy, was intended to both entertain and raise money for the Stars Hollow Bridge, which has fallen into great disrepair over the past decade. With events like the costume contest, apple bobbing, and Halloween ghost story readings, the event often turns into an all-day affair.

"This town is full of wonderful, enthusiastic citizens," said Taylor Doose, an intern for the mayor and recent Stars Hollow High School graduate. "This is a way for them to show their pride for our town, to help us repair that bridge, and to have a little fun at the same time."

For some residents, a day full of pumpkin decorating is just the right way to show their support for the efforts to restore the bridge.

"John loves the pumpkin picking and carving," said Mia Halloway, mother of eight-year-old John. "He won't let me take him to the local pumpkin patch and buy a pumpkin, he likes doing it at the festival. And this way we can help fix the bridge, that's why we're all here to begin with. It's fun for the kids, and it's got a purpose."

After the event, Stars Hollow Trick-or-Treat night began. A record number of houses participated in the Trick-or-Treat night this year, giving out an estimated 500,000 pieces of candy combined. The mayor's office attributes the spike in Trick-or-Treaters to the party in the town square.

"Residents of Stars Hollow love a party, and this party was sort of a pregame, if you will, to our traditional Halloween celebrations," said Doose. "Getting families here to the square gets them excited about going out and ringing doorbells later in the afternoon. It's a way to get their spirits up."

Doose's theory is strongly supported by the 1,346.79 raised during the event. The money will be applied to the Stars Hollow Bridge Fund, which is now at a total of 4,689.02.

"If we keep receiving support like this from our citizens, we'll be able to start on the bridge in no time," said Doose. "And by the looks of things, the town will support us beyond our wildest dreams."

"Even then Taylor was a big shot," Lorelai teased. "I wonder if he had a Halloween cardigan to go with that haughty interview of his."

Rory smiled. "I'm still focused on the cowboy costume. You mentioned the Star Trek costume when we looked at the album, but a cowboy?"

"The Star Trek costume was the year after," Luke explained. "And I was seven. Plus, my mom loved dressing me up in that corny stuff, you read the article."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I can just imagine Luke going to paint a pumpkin to look like Captain Kirk," she teased.

"I didn't paint a pumpkin to look like Captain Kirk," Luke grumbled, pulling a squirming Kylie onto his lap.

"Then what did you paint it as? A baseball guy?" Rory asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "I think he's denying it."

"He's in denial," Rory agreed. "Did your Captain Kirk pumpkin get squished?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "We were painting pumpkins and Kirk was sitting next to me and Liz. The photographer for the paper lined us up, tried to grab our pumpkins, but assigned them to the wrong person. Kirk had mine and he dropped it, and the pumpkin got smashed."

Rory covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. She cleared her throat and turned to Luke. "Why does that not surprise me? Kirk's been stealing your thunder since you were little, that's why you harbor a secret animosity toward him!"

"I do not hold animosity toward him, he's just annoying, so I get grumpy," Luke replied.

"You have a secret grudge over the pumpkin," Lorelai insisted. "Like Bootsie's handprint fiasco."

"We settled that last time we had a show and tell project like this," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "I'm going to make lunch."

Lorelai laughed. "Okay, good luck getting rid of your attachment," she said, motioning to a giggling Kylie, who followed Luke into the kitchen.

"Oh, jeez," Luke said, picking her up and plopping her on the couch. "Sit there with Rory. You like Rory, remember?"

Kylie giggled and waved to Rory. "Bye, Rory," she said, following Luke into the kitchen.

"She's a little you," Rory said, laughing. "You talk about ME hypnotizing her? Please."

"Well, you are a lot like me, so by default, she's like me, and you," Lorelai answered, turning the page in the book.

Rory sat back on the couch. "I loved the Costume party. Every year, on Trick-or-Treat night, you took me there, pried me away from my homework, and let me paint a pumpkin."

"You won the costume contest when you were a crayon that year," Lorelai said. "And all I had to do was take the pink sweat suit your grandparents sent you, decorate it to say 'Crayola,' and put a pink party hat on your head and then you were a favorite."

"You forget about the time that I was Dorothy and Babette let me use her black cat in the basket instead of the dog," Rory laughed.

"You're lucky that little Tommy Tutone was scared of the outside world, or else he'd be running to Jenny's house after she stopped answering her phone," Lorelai teased.

Rory groaned. "Seriously, Mom, now I have that song in my head. The number was disconnected, don't try to call it again. And I'm not surprised, you call 867-5309 way too much to see if someone else would pick up."

"But I swear that one day, a blonde named Jenny is going to move into a house, get that number, and shock us all," Lorelai insisted.

"Do you want macaroni and cheese or corn dogs?" Luke asked, emerging from the kitchen.

Lorelai laughed. "Both, and spaghetti o's."

"Ooh, those sound AMAZING," Rory gushed.

"Get cracking, Wolfgang Puck," Lorelai said, pointing back into the kitchen. "Your apprentice is waiting."

Rory laughed. She loved being in the Gilmore-Danes home when Luke was cooking, regardless of what it was. She laughed, knowing that Luke would add more than just those dishes to the meal, further increasing her appetite. She leaned over and closed the book. "Is now the time to teach Kylie to hold her silverware and bang it against the table demanding food?" she teased. "We can't look at any more without him, anyway."

Lorelai gasped. "Luke would kill us, let's do it!" she said, pulling Rory into the kitchen.


	7. FatherSon Team Takes Fishing Tourney

**Local Father-Son Team Takes Bass Fishing Tournament**

By Warren B. Shaw

_Sports Editor_

Eight-year-old Luke Danes and his father William took first place in the bass category of the Connecticut father-son fishing tournament yesterday. The third annual tournament brought over fifty father-son teams together through their love of fishing, and the numbers were closer than ever.

Luke and William won the bass division of the tournament with a total weight of 8.60 pounds, just edging out the reigning father-son team from Woodbury who totaled 8.57 pounds.

Stars Hollow residents never failed to show their support for their residents in the competition.

"Oh, you should have seen us," said family friend Mia Halloway. "We all had signs, we were cheering for them every time they got a bite, it was so exciting. It was definitely worth the sunburn."

While the Danes family appreciated the support, they were in the tournament for other reasons.

"This is something that Lucas and I like to do together," said Mr. Danes. "He's a good young fisherman, and I thought it would be a good time to get him started in something like this. If you win, you win, if you lose, you lose, but in the long run I spent some time with my kid."

The cash prize of over seven hundred dollars will be put in a college fund for Luke, according to the elder Danes.

"It's something he'll appreciate a few years down the road. Right now, he's just excited about the medal he got, I don't even know if he realizes he won some money along with it."

Stars Hollow town officials are more than pleased with the father-son pair.

"You know, we're awfully proud of them," said Mayor Harry McCarthy. "They are a wonderful representation of what the citizens of Stars Hollow are like, and we are honored to call them our own."

* * *

"Aww, you had a little medal and everything, how many days in a row did you wear it?" Lorelai asked.

Luke rolled his eyes. "None. I didn't want to smell like fish when I went to school."

"But then if they had any doubt that you were the one that won all that money…" Rory started.

Luke rolled his eyes, taking Lorelai's plate from the table and placing it in the sink. "There you go, you're all fed. Back to the couch."

Lorelai crossed her arms. "Dessert? Hello?"

Rory laughed as she flipped through the thick book full of articles. "Dessert can wait, Luke, really," she insisted, shooting Lorelai a glare. "Be nice to Luke."

"I am ALWAYS nice to Luke," Lorelai said, raising her eyebrows.

"Mom, seriously!" Rory said, shaking her head. "I am your offspring, but not everything I say is dirty or has a dirty innuendo."

Lorelai laughed. "The word 'innuendo' has a hint of dirty to it, I think."

"What do you want for dessert?" Luke asked.

"Oh, you know, a chocolate fondue pot right here…"

"How about I help you make some chocolate chip cookies?" Rory interjected.

Lorelai sighed, getting out of her chair to attempt to clean Kylie's hands. "No chocolate fondue? Rory, you betray me!"

"I don't betray you," Rory said, rolling her eyes. "I totally stick up for you. Most of the time. Luke just gets no help around here, and triple teaming him just isn't fair."

Luke turned to Rory. "Chocolate chip cookies are a great idea, they're a universal favorite and your mother will stop harassing me about chocolate fondue."

"No, I won't, you just wait," Lorelai insisted.

"I'm so glad you live here now," Rory said. "Because your cookies are so much better than the break and bake kind Mom buys."

Luke glanced over at Lorelai, who seemed more and more pained as the conversation progressed. "All right, enough torturing your mother."

Rory giggled. "Well, I tortured you earlier today, with the whole 'I want food' thing, so I think it's best to keep a level playing field. Not favor one over the other."

"If you had to choose," Lorelai started.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, don't start this again."

"I was teasing," Lorelai replied. "But seriously, back to this fishy smelling medal."

"There was totally a picture of it in the album," Rory recalled, thinking back to when the three sat on the couch and looked through the album together. "Do you know where it is?"

Lorelai shrugged, picking Kylie up. "Do I know where anything is?"

Rory laughed. "Mom, she has cheese all over her face."

Lorelai nodded. "I know that."

"Last I checked, yellow lipstick isn't in, and she's too young to be wearing makeup," Rory said, handing Lorelai a damp paper towel.

Lorelai nodded. "You read my mind! But on the topic of makeup, remember the cute little family portrait we showed you proofs of the other day?"

Rory grabbed some eggs from the refrigerator and handed them to Luke. "The one that Grandma and Grandpa arranged?"

"That's the one. Emily wanted Kylie to wear makeup to enhance her natural color," Lorelai said, scrunching up her nose. "I told her that Kylie isn't wearing makeup until she goes through the 'I want to be a princess' stage, and the Lisa Frank removable tattoos and the Lip Smackers are as far as I'm letting her go in that regard."

Stirring the contents of the chocolate chip cookie mix, Luke looked over to Lorelai. "Why didn't you tell me she tried to put makeup on our daughter?"

"You were already angry about having to wear a tie, what was I supposed to tell you?" she asked. "You were about ready to sucker punch the lady who kept messing with your hair."

"I didn't need hairspray," Luke insisted.

Rory gasped, popping a chocolate chip from the bag into her mouth. "She put hairspray in your hair? I would have loved to see this."

"Oh, next week, kiddo. We're doing them again because she wants pictures with all of my offspring, including you. Then she decided she wants to make us go through it again because it will look like you were 'simply inserted as an afterthought'," Lorelai said, mocking her mother.

"I'll be there, but I'm letting them put makeup on me," Rory teased, reaching for the bag of chocolate chips before Luke took them away. "Hey!" she yelped, reaching for the chocolate chips.

"Okay, first, if you keep eating those there won't be any left to put in the cookies, and second, I thought you were helping," Luke replied, dumping the bag of chocolate chips into the mixture.

Rory crossed her arms. "I got the eggs, mister. That is a very, very important job. A job that is necessary to make the cookies. You would not have been able to complete the recipe had you not received the eggs. Therefore, I helped."

"Whatever you say," Luke said, handing Rory the mixing spoon. "Four rows of three on each pan, please."

Rory nodded. "You guys can go on to the next page if you want, I'll keep making the cookies."

"You're doing the easy part," Luke replied, turning the page.


	8. Stars Hollow Little League

**Stars Hollow Little League Falls Short of Series**

By John D. Martin

_Staff Reporter_

The Stars Hollow Minutemen may have lost to the Woodbury Warriors on Friday night, but the Little League team is already looking ahead to next season. Despite their heartbreaking 11-inning 4-3 loss in a game that would have landed them a spot in the Little League World Series, the Minutemen have high hopes for next summer.

"We'll be there next year," said 12-year-old shortstop Michael Ryan. "We have a good team and we can beat Woodbury next year."

While the Minutemen aren't booking a trip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, they had a season for the record books. With a 19-1 record, and a combined team batting average of .321, Stars Hollow certainly made their season a season to remember.

"Our team did extremely well this season," said coach Buddy Collins. "They gave it their all, and the record and the stats show that. We didn't need a championship to prove we had a good season. It would have been nice, but we're satisfied."

One of the many reasons the Minutemen did so well was the presence of 12-year-old flamethrower and utility infielder Luke Danes. With a .313 batting average and a 2.01 earned run average, Danes was a valuable member of the team.

"Luke's a great kid," said Collins. "He wants to do well, he practices religiously, and he's so intense when he's on the mound. He's going somewhere."

While Danes acknowledges that his practice routine is the key to his success, he cites the team effort as the reason why the Minutemen made it as far as they did.

"We're a team," said Danes. "It's not just one person doing it all, we all contribute and we all work hard so we can win. We all have the same goal."

While the Minutemen fell just short of that goal this year, they have learned a valuable lesson.

"They've learned a lot this season," said Coach Collins. "They've learned that a season's success isn't determined by a trip to Williamsport. A successful season is a season when the kids learn something, and apply it to their game."

A town festival in celebration of the success of the Minutemen will be held on Saturday in the town square.

* * *

Rory dipped a cookie in her glass of milk and giggled, letting the soaked cookie drip in her glass. "You're such a selfless little team player."

"Now I understand where he got the 'it's no big deal' from," Lorelai said, mocking Luke when she repeated the phrase that he used often.

Luke rolled his eyes. "It's not just one person that wins a game, it's the team."

"You sound so scripted, Luke, if you do the thing that makes you win, that means you won the game for the team, right? It's like getting the last picture in Pictionary and your team wins. You win it FOR the team."

"But if your team didn't guess all the other ones, then you wouldn't have had the opportunity to win it," Luke replied.

Lorelai laughed. "You don't know how good I am at Pictionary, do you?"

"She actually single handedly won a game once," Rory said with a nod. "I was there. We were separated, or else we're a team. I get the team part if we're together, but if I played Pictionary with someone else, I would win for them."

"Or Trivial Pursuit," Lorelai added, clapping her hands and squealing. "Ooh! Scene it!"

"We are the Scene It CHAMPIONS," Rory agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "Just try and stop us. I mean, we know every question on the DVD the first time we go through it."

"Then it's boring and we have to get a new version," Lorelai added, shoving a cookie in her mouth. "That's another paycheck out the window for the good cultural knowledge."

Luke rolled his eyes. "But you understand the concept of winning as a team and winning on your own?"

Rory snorted. "The only things I understand about baseball are the following. One, you like it. Two, there are bases, and balls. And these bases are used as dirty metaphors to explain how much someone got the other night."

"And the Red Sox are so much better than the Yankees," Lorelai added, her speech obstructed by the cookies in her mouth. "And I only know that because I've looked at the eye candy."

"Really? Eye candy?"

"Guy who crouches down with a glove behind the guy with the bat for the Red Sox has a really nice set of legs, and a killer hiney. Nothing compared to Luke's," Lorelai answered, downing some coffee to wash down her cookies.

Rory sighed. "Dirty comment number seven thousand six hundred for Lorelai and Rory."

"Are you two finished with the dirty comments yet?" Luke asked, taking the empty platter that once held the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and walking over to the sink with it.

Lorelai laughed, playfully covering Kylie's ears. "I was born with a dirty mind. I will think dirty as long as my brain works, I will speak dirty as long as I can speak, and I will point out the dirty as long as my index finger is able to point."

"This is the woman who taught me everything I know," Rory added, placing her empty glass of milk in the sink and sitting back down. "Mom, you should have gone into cultural studies, you could have written books about TV shows and their deeper meanings. People would look to you for the answers."

Lorelai laughed. "I wouldn't go back and change a thing, kid. Plus, writing's your thing, not mine. If they asked me for commentary, I could so do that. Give me a pen and I become wordless."

"So I get to do all the manual labor today?" Luke teased. "While you two talk about baseball and try to make it dirty?"

Rory smiled, getting out of her seat to help Luke with the dishes. She looked over at Lorelai, who was watching Kylie finish off a cookie. Lorelai said that she wouldn't change a thing, and Rory could see why. Rory loved being a part of something so special between Luke and Lorelai.

Rory often caught herself thinking about her own life since Lorelai and Luke finally got together for the third time. She knew that she didn't want to wait as long as Lorelai had to find someone… but she also didn't want to find someone for the sake of finding someone. She sighed as she dried the last dish. Lorelai really had taught her everything she knew, in one form or another.


	9. New Management Key to Inn's Success

**New Management Key to Independence's Success**

By Linda Wolfe

_Correspondent_

Though Mia Halloway has only been in charge of the Independence Inn for just over three years, the reviews are in, and the Independence Inn has become the hotspot for tourists. While taking over the operation at a risky stage like Halloway did could be frowned upon by some, all bets are off when it comes to the Independence.

With an internal and external makeover, a personnel overhaul, and a dash of enthusiasm, Halloway has successfully made the Independence Inn the favorite place to stay for weary travelers.

What is the key to Halloway's success?

"I'd like to think it's because I've worked hard," Halloway said, "and I know the people of Stars Hollow so well. I couldn't have done it without their support, and their good word of mouth."

Halloway is modest when it comes to her own successes, but she isn't afraid to point to her curious nature as one of the keys to the inn's popularity.

"I'm a risk taker, a go-getter," said Halloway. "I'm one of those people who doesn't stop until it's perfect. And I'm also one of those people who can't get an idea out of her head once it's in there. And this was one that stuck. Here we are, three years later, with an inn full of people!"

The citizens of Stars Hollow agree.

"Mia's got such a vibrant personality," said Taylor Doose, Stars Hollow town selectman. "She's never afraid to take the next step in her career. She makes Stars Hollow proud."

And Stars Hollow should be proud of Halloway. In the three years since she took over the Independence Inn, the Stars Hollow Chamber of Commerce reports a 15 increase in tourist profit. The inn averages about six hundred more guests a year than it did before Halloway became principal owner. Not to mention the rave reviews it has received in several hospitality magazines across the country.

While Halloway gives credit to everyone but herself for the inn's huge profit, those who work for Halloway say that she is the key to the inn's success.

"She's the brains of the operation, that's for sure," said housekeeping assistant Lorelai Gilmore. "She knows what she wants, and she hires people who are willing to help her work toward the goal of making her customers happy. She's a great boss."

Halloway's spirited manner of running a business has caught on and spread throughout the staff of the inn.

"We all notice how enthusiastic she is," said Gilmore. "I mean, I'm only 18, but I hope to be half as successful as she is someday. I'd love to open my own inn and use what Mia's taught me in the past year to be successful."

* * *

Lorelai smiled at Rory. "I forgot about that. I remember the day they interviewed me was such a busy day. You were really sick that day, and I was being pulled in about seven hundred directions by all the guests. Plus this annoying reporter woman with a really ugly jacket."

"What did she ask you?" Rory asked, picking up the book and closing it, holding it in her arms and making her way back into the living room.

"She kept asking me what Mia meant to us as the workers from the bottom of the barrel," Lorelai explained, looking down at Kylie, who had fallen asleep on her shoulder. She smoothed Kylie's curls and stood up from her seat slowly. "I was frustrated because I was never treated like I was the bottom of the barrel."

"Mia's such a sweet lady, I can't imagine that she ever treated you like that," Rory replied.

Luke shook his head. "Mia never treats anyone like that, ever."

"That's why I loved working for her; I wanted to make her proud, you know? She was one of those people who truly wanted me to succeed, I needed it at that point in my life," Lorelai explained. "I'm going to put her upstairs," she said, motioning to Kylie.

Rory sat on the couch next to Luke. "You like the book so far?"

He nodded. "It brings back a lot of really interesting memories. It's a really thoughtful gift."

"I liked looking back, too," Rory replied. "I love Stars Hollow, it makes me feel more connected to have read all of these articles."

"I'm glad you got to enjoy it too," Luke said, taking off his baseball cap and scratching his head. "What did you have to do to get Taylor to let you to go into the vaults?"

"I had to copy edit for a week," Rory explained. "But I love copy editing. I'm really weird like that. But they gave me free food every day and they gave me my own desk with a view. It was actually really fun. I'd never consider working for a small town paper, but it was fun to try out."

Luke smiled. "Well, it's a great gift. Your mother and I really appreciate it."

"I loved looking through the articles. Some of the staff remembered the people they were about, or the events they were about. Plus it's really cool to learn about Stars Hollow before Mom and I moved here," Rory gushed. "I could be a Stars Hollow historian with all the information I know, if I didn't have to apply, pay an application fee, and take a test."

"Taylor's imposed that many restrictions, huh?" Luke asked.

Rory laughed. "He made me show him my hands after every lunch break to make sure I didn't get anything on the copies of the newspaper I wasn't using."

"That's Taylor," Luke said with a nod. "What else have you got in here?"

"Oh, I've got everything from a few 'Dear Abby' articles to some gossip columns, to editorials, to… pretty much everything," Rory replied. "I searched the database to find everyone's names, and then searched the safe once through."

"That's a lot of work," Luke mused.

"It wasn't work, it was fun," Rory insisted. "I was totally into it. I'd find myself reading political coverage from the earlier papers and then realizing that I was on a mission."

"You did a great job. You always do a good job," Luke replied.

"Thanks, Luke," Rory said with a smile. "Should we make Mom mad and go onto the next page?"

"Do it and die," Lorelai replied, running down the stairs.

"I value my life, Rory, but thanks," Luke muttered, making room for Lorelai on the couch.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to all who are reading and reviewing, and thank you to R.M. Jackson for the comma fixing/foam finger waving/beta. Your support is like Luke's coffee to Lorelai.  
**


	10. Stars Hollow Elementary Test Scores

**Stars Hollow Elementary Scores Highest in State**

Jacqueline Marist

_Staff Writer_

The scores from the administration of the Connecticut Mastery Test were released today by Commissioner of Education Robert D. Ames. Stars Hollow Elementary School topped the list of the highest scoring schools in the state, with 91 of students achieving a passing grade.

The Connecticut Mastery Test, administered to grades 4,6, and 8, is assessed on a scale of 1 to 5 in mathematics, reading, and writing. On this scale, a 5 is considered "advanced", 4 is "goal", 3 is "proficient", 2 is "basic", and 1 is "below basic." Stars Hollow saw 86 of its students score in the 3-4 range, and 45 of students earned at least one 5.

"This shows that the wonderful teachers we have at Stars Hollow Elementary School are doing their jobs," said Town Selectman Taylor Doose. "They have done everything possible to prepare our students for the future."

This score report indicates that for the third year in a row, Stars Hollow students have received higher scores than the year prior, indicating a steady increase in the test results.

"It gives us a place to start a foundation for future tests," said Stars Hollow Elementary School principal John Haley. "Then we can build off of it and continue to improve for years to come. We're extremely proud of our students and of our staff."

The high scores also got the attention of those who work for the school district.

"The kids have made us proud," said Marshall Davis, school superintendent. "They're doing a great job and we hope to see similar results next year."

Principal Haley wished to single out one student from the many who had excellent scores on the test.

"We have a fourth grader, Rory Gilmore, who scored a 5 on each section. She's a bright kid, and she's the only kid at Stars Hollow Elementary, and I think the only kid in the district, who scored all 5's, so we're obviously really proud of her," said Haley.

When asked about Miss Gilmore's success on the test, Superintendent Davis attributed it to a desire to learn.

"Rory's like a lot of kids we have in our district," said Davis. "They want to learn and they try hard. And that shows that they're great students. The interest is there, and that makes the teachers' jobs a whole lot easier."

Last year, Stars Hollow was tenth in the state with 83 of students earning a passing grade. School officials see this increase as a trend.

"We can't go up any higher in rank," said Davis. "But we can improve our percentages. We're always striving for a one hundred percent."

* * *

"I have the smart kids," Lorelai announced, grinning at Rory.

"That's really impressive, Rory," Luke said. "You obviously worked just as hard back then as you did now."

Lorelai laughed. "Sap," she said with a smirk.

"I have a right to be proud of Rory," Luke replied.

"That was so long ago," Lorelai teased, her tone sarcastic. "And besides, you knew that Rory was a smart cookie."

"Thank you, Luke," Rory said with a smile.

Lorelai mocked Rory, making an amusing face behind her while she spoke.

Rory leaned back, rubbing her finger against the cold metal ring in the center of the binder. She pulled her finger away quickly as Lorelai opened the ring, threatening to pinch Rory's finger inside. "There's a reason I don't use binders instead of notebooks," Rory said, cringing at the thought of getting her finger stuck in the ring.

"You decided that you'd try it, and you begged me to buy you notebooks after a week," Lorelai replied.

"Yeah, because Graham Stewart decided it would be cool to play shark with my binder that day," Rory replied with a heavy sigh. "Then the week after that, he stole the teacher's staple remover, and played shark with that too. Got my thumb."

Lorelai nodded. "Paula Abdul's manicure massacre came nowhere close to the swelling this kid got. Your thumb ballooned to twice its normal size."

Rory rolled her eyes. Turning to Luke, she shook her head. "It was not that bad."

"You couldn't hold a pencil for a week, sweets, it was bad," Lorelai replied, getting up and smoothing out a pink tablecloth on Kylie's table in the corner by the stairs.

"Mom," Rory said, raising her eyebrows. "What did you just do?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Pinky the Piggy won't sit at the table if the cloth is scrunchy," she explained.

Rory laughed. "She gets that from me, doesn't she?"

"I thought it was from Luke, but if you'll admit to it," Lorelai said with a wink.

Luke crossed his arms. He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "Why do you pin all non-Gilmore traits on me? Has it ever occurred to either one of you that she could be doing this because she has a rather active imagination?"

Rory and Lorelai glanced at each other, and then at Luke. Rory tried to refrain from laughing as Lorelai handed Kylie the stuffed pig in question. "Luke," Rory started. "Notice how much I act like Mom, and then notice how much she acts like Mom. Take everything else, and think about which one of you she acts like when she does that particular thing."

"I'm not anal about a tablecloth," Luke insisted.

"You're anal about where the milk goes in the refrigerator," Lorelai teased in a sing-songy voice, sitting back down on the couch with her daughter and her husband.

"Okay, that was a long time ago," he grunted, rubbing his palms against his jeans in an obvious effort to avoid a rant. "And besides, she can't have her own quirks? Maybe she learned it from Paul Anka. That dog is the craziest dog I've ever met."

Rory laughed. She crouched down to scratch the shaggy dog's head, and he rolled over as she did. "Paul Anka objects to that generalization."

"Sometimes," Lorelai started, "I wonder if Paul Anka is smarter than all of us. Even the kid with the highest scores on the Connecticut whatever test. I think he could be this super smart dog, who laughs at all of us when we're stupid, and he plots to take over the world."

"He probably wonders what possessed you to name him Paul Anka," Luke muttered, earning a gasp from Lorelai.

"Luke," Lorelai said, her tone becoming stern, but sarcastic. "Do not make fun of Paul Anka. He probably wonders why your parents named you Luke. It's just a name, and I think he likes it," she insisted, joining Rory on the floor and rubbing Paul Anka's belly.

Luke rolled his eyes. "You're pathetic, all three of you," he insisted.

Kylie dropped the stuffed pig at the table and joined the girls and the dog, reaching across Rory to pat Paul Anka on the nose. She grinned at Luke, and looked at Rory, who gave her a nod to continue. "Just don't hurt him," Rory warned.

Luke placed the binder on the couch next to him. "All four of you are crazy. Fine, I take it back. She gets her sane side from me, because it's obvious that this is what she gets from you."

Lorelai nodded and flashed a smile. "Thanks, babe," she said, turning her attention to the pampered dog once again.

"Can we move on to the next article? I'd like to have this book done at some point today," Luke muttered, picking the binder up again.

Rory stood up and brushed herself off. She picked a clump of gray dog fur off of her shoulder and took her seat next to Luke. "All right," she said. "Turn the page, let's see what journalistic adventure we're on to next."

* * *

**A/N: I want to thank everyone for reading and I want to thank R.M. Jackson for the beta. To quote Juno, you guys are the cheese to my macaroni.  
**


	11. Living in Stars Hollow

Editor's note: Every year, the Stars Hollow Gazette seeks young writers to enter the "Junior Journalist" contest. Entrants are given a theme and asked to write an opinion piece following the prompt. This year's theme was "Living in Stars Hollow" and Miss Rory Gilmore is our winner. Miss Gilmore is an eighth grader at Stars Hollow Middle School and an aspiring journalist. This is her take on what living in Stars Hollow is like.

**Living in Stars Hollow**

Rory Gilmore

_Correspondent and Contest Winner_

From the moment I walk out the door in the morning, I get to exercise my 'journalistic instincts'. I don't have an assignment or a deadline, and my observations are not published. There are no quotes, attributions, or headlines associated with the information I gather. It's all a part of living in Stars Hollow, Connecticut.

My mom and I don't have to go far to start the process. A trip to Luke's Diner in the morning always suffices. It's where the majority of my observations come from. Usually, I sit and drink my coffee while my mom and Luke argue about the side effects of caffeine intake. I watch as Luke argues with her about the damage she's doing to her arteries, and laugh at her indifference to the matter.

After a verbal tennis match between Luke and my mom, breakfast is served, and the entertainment comes at no extra charge. Whether it's Kirk requesting that his peanut butter and jelly sandwich be cut to represent all the letters in the alphabet, or Taylor's insistence that a poster be put in the window of the diner, the people of Stars Hollow are always fascinating to observe.

On the walk to school, I usually see Miss Patty in the midst of an early morning ballet class, the town troubadour playing a song on his guitar, and Babette and Morey walking their cat. Depending on the day, I'll focus on one of the three, thinking about how interesting their lives are, and pondering how we're all intertwined as citizens of this town.

If I lived anywhere else, I would be told to 'stop staring' or to 'mind your own business.' But because I live in Stars Hollow, a town where even the craziest of people are considered normal, what could be construed as 'nosiness' is actually encouraged. If this is the case, why would one want to live anywhere else? If one can feel completely sane in a town where insanity is embraced, there is nowhere else I'd rather be.

Even though I consider myself on the 'normal' end of the crazy spectrum, the people of Stars Hollow embrace my crazy 'instincts.' I wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

"I remember reading that when it came out," Luke said, turning to face Rory. "And I remember Taylor getting angry with you because you called him crazy."

Rory laughed and brought her ponytail over to the side. She remembered working on the article for weeks, crumbling sheet of paper after sheet of paper with discarded entries. Finally, the night before the article was due, she tore her first final draft to shreds and started over once again. She recalled the feeling of satisfaction she got when she read it over and over to ensure that the punctuation, grammar, and spelling were perfect.

Peeking over Luke's shoulder once again to see her very first published article made her smile. After all that work she did, and after all the years of making her own newspapers and giving them to Lorelai to read, she was finally a published author. The feeling didn't go away as Rory wrote more and more. Her first byline in the Franklin, her first piece in the Yale Daily News, and her first articles for the online newspaper and the Hartford Courant all gave her that accomplished feeling.

Grinning, she looked at Luke. "I hinted that some people in the town may be a little crazy, but that didn't necessarily include Taylor. He read much more into it than he needed to, but it was funny."

"Well, I thought it was a great article," Luke insisted.

Lorelai giggled. "You're biased."

"Hey, I told her it was a great article the day I first read it," he replied. "And me? Biased? I think you and Rory are probably the most biased people in the room."

Rory shook her head. "No way. I know when an article I wrote is good or bad. So I'm rather objective in this sense."

Lorelai put her arm around Rory. "Well, sweets, I may be biased, but I love your work. I've saved every article you've written."

"Really?" Rory asked.

Lorelai laughed, hugging her daughter tighter. "No, Luke started saving them."

Rory turned to her stepfather, trying not to laugh. "You saved my work?"

"I knew your mother would want it all saved, she's just too disorganized to do it successfully," he grumbled.

Turning to Luke, Lorelai gasped. "You did not just insult my organizational skills."

"What did I do, then?"

She snorted, leaning back and getting comfortable on the couch once again. "Did you just hear him? He thinks I'm like that clown on the Comfy Couch show that stuffs all her crap underneath the cushions and pulls it out at random."

"Mom, you've never been known for your neatness," Rory started, suppressing a laugh.

Lorelai gasped. "Seriously, you've betrayed me more times today than I ever imagined you would in a lifetime."

Rory shrugged, grinning at her mother. "Well, you realize that I have a whole lifetime of sticking up for you to make up for with Luke?"

"Hon," Lorelai interrupted. "It's been a few years, you've made him feel included, time to remember Mommy again."

Turning to Luke, and then to Lorelai again, Rory shrugged. "We'll see," she said, reaching over and turning the album so she could better see the article.

"You wouldn't," Lorelai said, shocked.

"I just like seeing you squirm," Rory retorted.

Luke crossed his arms and looked at Rory and Lorelai, rolling his eyes and acting completely and totally uninterested. "Are you two done yet?"

Rory laughed. "You're stuck with us," she said, turning the page. "We're never finished."

"Good to see you on the dark side, we have cookies," Lorelai said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Luke leaned over to look at Lorelai. "Cookies that you made? That's a scary thought."

"Hey, do not insult my cooking skills and my organizational skills all in one night. It's too much for me to handle."

"Oh, will you two just turn the page already?" Rory teased, shaking her head and sighing.

"You two are just as bad," Luke shot back.

"Okay, sure, you win. Moving on," Lorelai insisted.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the delay on this one... thanks to all who are following this one, and thanks to my beta, R.M. Jackson, who will put up with my pouting and begging to beta read my story even though she's on vacation!  
**


	12. The State of the Stars Hollow Economy

**The State of the Stars Hollow Economy:**

**How to Save Money in a Time of Need**

By Kirk Gleason

_Financial Pages Contributor_

With the current state of the economy in our country, we as Americans, as well as Stars Hollow citizens, are searching for ways to save money. But never fear, good people of Stars Hollow. Because we live in a small town, we are able to support each other in our time of need. I, Kirk Gleason, have compiled a list of five ways to ensure the financial stability of our citizens in this period of uncertainty.

**Town Swear Jar:** Every time an expletive escapes the lips of a citizen or tourist, a quarter must be relinquished to the person who overheard the swear. Using proper grammar and alternative words will save us money.

**Pick Up the Penny… Heads Up OR Heads Down:** This one is simple, people. If you see a penny on the ground, pick it up. The good luck bad luck myth is actually a self-fulfilling prophecy. Picking up the penny, despite its positioning on the ground, will bring good fortune to those who save it. Remember, a penny by itself may be worthless to you, but one hundred pennies make a dollar.

**Search the Couch Cushions:** Don't simply vacuum out the couch when you feel the need to clean it. Take off every cushion, lift the couch itself, and search high and low for loose change. Simple manual labor can save you a lot of money.

**Bartering:** If you see something at the town flea market, try to get the best price for it. All too often, the seller is concerned about the almighty dollar and puts a higher price on the item than you're willing to pay for it. Ask the seller if he is willing to sell it for less money; if he isn't, then you didn't need the collectible Diff'rent Strokes mugs anyway.

**Search for Deals at Doose's:** Taylor Doose often has sales in his fine establishment. If the cupcakes are marked at three packages for five dollars, buy all three packages instead of just two. Save them for future movie nights and soon you'll find a stash of junk food you never imagined possible.

These are simple ways to cut costs and be mindful of the economic health of our town. If we as citizens ensure our own financial well-being, we can give that money back to the town in other ways. From personal experience, I can tell you that Mother's swear jar has already earned her forty-seven dollars that she has used to purchase a new pair of shoes.

Taking the money you save and giving it back to the town is one of the only ways that this town will remain prosperous and successful. It's up to you, good people of Stars Hollow. How do you plan to contribute? Maybe you have your own ways of pinching pennies.

_Please send any and all financial suggestions or tips to __k gleasonstars ._

* * *

Rory looked to Lorelai, who was shaking her head in sheer disbelief. "Seriously, Kirk's basically touching on everything I've ever done to save money," Lorelai said, laughing as she leaned over to skim the article once more.

"Really?" Luke asked. "These ways seem pretty redundant to me. The first one's you spending money if you say something that could or could not be classified as a 'swear'."

"Luke's right, but on your point, Mom, there's one thing that Kirk wouldn't even know. You forgot checking your old purses and wallets for money," Rory pointed out.

Lorelai gasped. "Seriously, that's a travesty. Luke, I found six hundred dollars in one day doing that."

"Well, then, maybe you should send that idea to K Gleason at Stars Hollow gazette dot org," Luke replied.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Why would I give everyone else the idea? I used to buy purses at the garage sales in town and make killings off the money that people swore wasn't in them. I would ask them if they checked to make sure no money was in there, and I'd get home, and bam! Ten bucks to buy Rory a new t-shirt."

"That didn't make you feel at all guilty?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Luke, I asked them if they checked. If they said they didn't, I'd hand it over for them to check. I'd watch them check it, give them back their money if they didn't check it, and I'd probably try and turn a profit off of the purse by bedazzling it or something."

"Mom was good at figuring out ways to make ends meet," Rory explained. "She once found a five dollar bill on the ground under the bench by the gazebo, spent it on some crafty thing, and made about a hundred dollars so we could buy groceries."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Lorelai said with a nod. "And if there wasn't enough money to risk on the bedazzling or the painting or the sewing, I'd focus on the priorities. But on occasion, we'd have ourselves a nice rare treat to Chinese food or something with the money I made."

"You gotta do what you gotta do," Rory echoed. "Plus she learned how to make me some pretty things out of the older things I had so we didn't have to buy new stuff all the time. My old stuff would look better than half the other kids' new stuff. It gave me a secret superiority complex."

Luke snorted. "Rory, you've never had a superiority complex."

"Not that I've shown to you, at least," she pointed out. "And besides, how do you know it wasn't an interior superiority complex?"

"An interior superiority complex? Isn't the point of a complex to have a complex that others will know about?"

Rory giggled. "You take us so seriously sometimes, Luke."

"I wasn't…"

"Yes you were," Lorelai interrupted. "You take us really seriously. That's the sad part. When we say we have superiority complexes, you basically contribute to the banter, sit back, and wonder why we have complexes, but in reality, we're just being sarcastic."

"But you can't have your eggs touch your syrup or else they'll drown, and you're completely serious about that," Luke pointed out.

Lorelai reached across Rory and patted Luke's knee. "Not everything in life is as serious as my eggs drowning in Aunt Jemima's deadly quicksand."

"You two frustrate me," Luke insisted.

"Well," Rory said with a laugh, "we're doing something right then, aren't we?"

"Sounds like it to me," Lorelai replied, moving her hand from Luke's knee to the book of articles and flipping the page to the next one.

Rory thought about Luke's insistence that Lorelai and Rory's antics were actually serious matters. She gave him a smile as she leaned in to read the next article. Even though he had been around for a while, he still had a lot to learn. He had been around long enough to know a lot of their quirks, but there were some that he was still mastering.

It made Rory wish that Luke had been around a lot earlier.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to all for reading and reviewing. Your support is so appreciated! And thanks to R.M. Jackson for being my beta and fixing my minor shiz.  
**


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